91视频

The city of Portland has approved awarding up to $300 million in grants to projects with climate action goals. Money from the Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) will be allocated for eight projects over five years.

The Portland City Council authorized the Collaborating for Climate Action grants during a meeting on Wednesday. As a requirement of consideration for funding, project teams were required to have at least one organization with a minimum of eight years of experience serving priority populations.

More than 50 letters of interest were submitted for the grants, said Sam Baraso, PCEF program manager. In September, the PCEF committee invited 10 teams to advance to the full application stage. They received a full application review, including PCEF committee recommendation, staff portfolio development, internal and external expert technical validation of proposed measures, and scoring panels composed of committee members, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) staff and community members.

Earlier this month, the PCEF committee recommended funding for eight projects.

For one project, six school districts (Portland Public Schools, David Douglas, Centennial, Reynolds, Parkrose and Multnomah Education Service District) will use approximately $70.4 million to pay for energy-efficient HVAC systems, geothermal heating, LED lighting, window replacements, transportation decarbonization and green schoolyard projects.

TriMet will receive $55.5 million for its 82nd Avenue Transit Project to support infrastructure for bus rapid transit (BRT), workforce development, and corridor cooling elements along seven miles of 82nd Avenue, from Southeast Clatsop Street to the Cully neighborhood. Local dollars will match federal dollars for the BRT line, which will feature transit signal priority, 60-foot zero-emission buses, increased capacity, greater frequency, and upgraded station access to improve travel times on the overcrowded Line 72.

The 82nd Avenue project is currently in the design phase, according to TriMet. A construction manager/general contractor has not been selected yet, TriMet spokeswoman Tia York stated in an email, but a solicitation is expected to be made next summer. Construction is expected to start in early 2027.

The Portland Bureau of Fleet & Facilities, Portland Community College and the PCC Foundation will use $41 million to decarbonize the state鈥檚 largest municipal fleet, make living-wage career pathways in fleet and facility maintenance accessible to PCEF priority populations, provide advanced education in building energy management and electric vehicle maintenance, and replace end-of-life facility assets with energy-efficient alternatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In another project, $36 million will be used to create large-scale equitable and sustainable development of the Broadway Corridor.

Demolition has been completed and street/utility construction will begin early next year, according to Prosper Portland. Completion is anticipated by fall 2026. This preparatory work, in combination with the PCEF funding, will allow two additional components of work to begin: middle-income net zero development on Parcel 6 (Related Companies will begin design and due diligence early next year) and the expansion of workforce training facility capacity (Constructing Hope and Oregon Tradeswomen will begin a site assessment and evaluation of budget and staffing requirements in the new year), Prosper Portland spokesperson Shawn Uhlman stated in an email.

Neither project team has selected a general contractor yet, Uhlman stated. Construction of Parcel 6 is anticipated to start in mid-2026 after design, permitting and full funding is secured, and necessary infrastructure is ready. Tenant improvements for expanded workforce training facilities are anticipated to begin in mid-2026 as well, once a site has been selected and full funding is secured.

Bonneville Environmental Foundation鈥檚 Empowering PDX project will use approximately $31.6 million to deliver large-scale environmental, economic, and community benefits to PCEF priority populations through a combination of solar, battery storage, and energy efficiency technologies.

鈥淭his project will deliver large-scale community solar installations on Port of Portland and Metro properties and serve over 1,500 Black and Indigenous and people of color and low-income households with direct utility bill savings,鈥� Baraso said.

Energy Trust of Oregon, through its Solar for All program, will use approximately $49.98 million to install 9.7 megawatts of rooftop solar capacity and 5.8 megawatt-hours of battery storage for approximately 2,700 Portland households with lower incomes.

For the Portland Bureau of Transportation鈥檚 Sidewalks to Schools project, approximately $20.6 million will pay for construction of new sidewalks near schools.

BPS鈥� Clean Industry Community Program will use $20 million to reduce industrial emissions, air pollution and waste while also creating workforce development pathways. Funding will support feasibility studies and capital projects for efficient and renewable industrial technologies.

Following the city council鈥檚 vote, BPS is now authorized to execute grants or agreements with the organizations recommended for funding.